Around 30 firefighters in four pumps were called to Basingstoke hospital at 9pm last night to deal with the incident and help clear up the hazardous material.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said two members of staff suffered “severe burns” – but a hospital chief described the injuries as “minor”.

Crew manager Ewen Ross said: “We were called at 9pm because there had been a spillage earlier on in the hospital. They had dealt with it but after that event two members of staff at the hospital had to be treated for chemical burns to their hands. It was after the second one had been reported, that’s when we were called.”

It was found that the disinfectant had been incorrectly disposed of in bins at the back of the hospital, which is where the two men who suffered burns had been exposed to the chemical.

Firefighters contained the spill and made the chemical material safe. A hose reel was used for decontamination purposes.

Crew manager Ross said: “We rinsed off the material that was contaminated and got it moved into a secure bin. It was locked away at the hospital to be disposed of.”

The crew from Basingstoke fire station were at the hospital, in Aldermaston Road, for two hours.

Donna Green, chief operating officer at the hospital, said: “There was a small spillage of a chemical in a specialist store room in the Diagnosis and Treatment Centre at Basingstoke hospital which resulted in two members of staff receiving minor burns.

“We have supported the staff involved in the incident and we followed the usual protocol for these situations which is to involve the fire and ambulance services. We take these matters very seriously and will be reviewing our procedures to see if there is anything we can learn from this.”